Claire Lynch has been making music for quite some time. Originally learning her trade in Country music, Claire was drawn into the Bluegrass revival in the 70s and became one of the most intriguing and exciting artists in the movement. At the time, there weren't a whole lot of female artists in the genre, which made her all the more influential. Claire joined a band called Hickory Wind in the 70s (which makes me feel old, because I remember Hickory Wind). Hickory Wind then became The Front Porch String Band and Claire became the focal point of the group. After becoming a national force, The Front Porch String Band stopped touring for a while and Claire focused on her songwriting. Among the artists who have sung Claire's songs are Patty Loveless, Kathy Mattea and The Seldom Scene. The Front Porch String Band recorded a new album in 1991 and that ended up launching Claire's solo career. In 2000, she took a break from music, re-emerging in 2005 with The Claire Lynch Band.

Claire Lynch has been recognized with multiple Grammy nominations and was the IBMA Female Vocalist of the year in 1997, 2010 and 2013. Earlier this month, Claire took home the IBMA Award for Song of The Year for "Dear Sister", the title track to her most recent non-holiday album.

Like a lot of artists, Claire has been wanting to record a Christmas album for a long, long time, but the stars just haven't aligned...until this year. Claire's voice may remind you of Nanci Griffith and her music always pushes the envelope of Bluegrass. Even at Christmas. "Home For The Holidays", for example, is a tasty bit of Country Swing while the samples of "We Three Kings" sound much more like Jazz than Bluegrass. And Claire even included a Hanukkah track, "In The Window". There are song samples available here. By the way, the clip of "Heaven's Light" above is Claire's solo recording from 2011; the album features an all new recording from the full group.

PREviews

I don't know about you, but I want to see that cover art and I want to see that track list before I make my Christmas music purchasing decisions. The earlier the better. That's what we try to do for you here. We'll also try to give you a little background on the artist(s), in case they're new to you.